Bell mount for timepieces



Jan. 13, 1948. F. FENGLER 2,434,460

BLL-MOUNT FOR TIMEPIECES Filed Feb. 19, 1947 @y 16 2 f" f/W *b `s7 I @W Patented Jan. 13, 1948 BELL MOUNT FOR TIMEPIECES Ferdinand Fengler, Bristol, Conn., assgnor to The E. Ingraham Company, Bristol, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application February 19, 1947, Serial No. 729,474

6 Claims.

The present invention relates in general to timepieces and, more especially, to a timepiece of the class known as alarm clocks, the invention relating particularly to structure for mounting the alarm-bell in the frame of the timepiece.

An object of the invention is to provide a superior bell-supporting means for timepieces whichwill facilitate the assembly of the bell in the frame f the timepiece.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved alarm-bell supporting-means for timepieces whereby the bell may be readily detached from and attached to the frame of the timepiece without disassembling the latter, or performing similar tedious and time-consuming operations.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a superior alarm-bell supporting-clip having spring-lingers adapted normally to clamp onto the pillars of the frame so as to secure the alarm-bell thereto in juxtaposition to the bellclapper, the spring-lingers being of a nature such that they may be disengaged from the pillars, thereby permitting the bell and bell-supporting clip to be removed as a unit from the timepiece.

A still further object is to provide the bellsupporting means of a timepiece with spring-fingers for clipping the bell-supporting means to the pillars of the frame.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure, this invention includes all features in tne said disclosure which are novel over the prior art.

In the accompanying drawings, in 'which certain modes of carrying out the present invention are shown for illustrative purposes:

Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of the frame of a timepiece of the class described, a portion of the frame being broken away to show more clearly the improved bell-supporting means of this invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the left-hand side of the frame shown in Fig. 1, including the bell and bell-supporting means;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view partly in section of the bell and bell-supporting means, the two being secured together by a fastening-means to form a single unit; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the bell-supporting clip.

Referring t0 the drawings which illustrate one embodiment of the present invention, the frame or movement of the timepiece, which for the purposes of this disclosure is of the type known as an alarm clock," is indicated generally at I0 and comprises a rear movement-plate II and a front movement-plate I2, the rear and front movementplates being held securely in spaced parallel relationship by pillars I3 mounted substantially at the four corners of the frame. The complete time-train of the timepiece is not shown in the drawings inasmuch as it is of conventional construction and is not necessary to a clear and concise description of the invention. However, the balance-wheel and its regulator are indicated at I4 and I5 respectively, as well as several elements of the alarm-train, the latter being indicated generally at I6. The latter is adapted to operate a bell-clapper I'l which comprises a long arm pivoted as at I 8 in the frame I0 and provided with a finger I9 at one end adapted to engage successively with the teeth of the escapement 20 of the alarm-train to provide the required striking motion for the forward end 2| of the clapper.

The present invention relates in particular to the bell-supporting means which is shown generally at 22 in Figs. 3 and 4 and which compirses a relatively-narrow strip of metal preferably of thin gauge bent as indicated in Fig. 1, so as to form a short planar section or base 23 substantially intermediate the opposite ends of the metal strip. An aperture 24 is provided in the center of the base23 for the purpose hereinafter described. The portion of the metal strip extending to the left of the base 23 as seen in Fig. 1 is hereinafter referred to as the left leg 25 of the bell-supporting means. The left leg 25 is substantially straight and bent upwardly at an angle of substantially 45 with respect to the base 23. The opposite or right leg 26 of the bell-supporting means is shown provided with a bent knee-portion 21 so as to insure clearance between the leg 26 and the periphery of the balance-Wheel I4 and also to insure an appreciable amount of resiliency in the leg 26 so as to facilitate attaching and detaching the supporting-means 22 to and from the frame respectively, as described below.

Referring particularly to Figs, 2, 3 and 4, the outer extremity of each leg of the bell-supporting means, hereinafter termed a clip, is provided with fastening elements indicated generally at 28, for frictionally securing the clip 22 to the frame of the timepiecee, these fastening-elements constituting spring-fingers for clamplngly engaging the pillars of the frame, and comprising a pair of laterally-spaced tines 29 and a detent 30 located substantially intermediate the tines. The tines and detent of each respective set of springfingers are adapted to be blanked or otherwise formed from the enlarged substantially-rectangular extremities of the respective legs. The tines 29 are substantially flat and lie in a plane coincident with the plane which intersects the longitudinal edges of the respective leg, the tines tapering slightly from their bases down to their relatively-narrow free ends. Each detent 30 constitutes a substantially-rectangular tongue which has been provided With a substantially-semicylindrical crimp 3l intermediate its base and its outer end. Moreover, each crimp 3l is bent back out of the plane of its respective tines, making an angle of substantially 40 with respect thereto, as shown in Fig. 1. The semicylindrical crimps 3| are struck on an arc, the diameter of which in the present embodiment corresponds substantially to the diameter of one of the pillars i3 of the frame, while the degree to which each semicylindrical crimp is bentl back out Vrof the plane of its respective tines is such that the maximum distance between the inside Wall of the crimp and the corresponding faces of its respective tines is no greater than and preferably slightly less than the diameter of one of the pillars i3 of the frame, for the purpose hereinafter described.

The alarm-bell of the timepiece is shown at 32 and is preferably an elongated cup-shaped member consisting of a suitable metal as, for example, aluminum, and provided at its center with an aperture 33. The portion of the inside Wall of the bell immediately surrounding the central aperture 33 comprises a substantially-flat surface 34 which is adapted to seat on the outer face of the base 23 of the clip 22, the bell being secured thereto by suitable fastening-means 35 engaged in the axially-aligned apertures of the flat and of the bell. In the present embodiment, the fastening-means comprises a machine screvtr 36 and nut 31, but it will be understood that a rivet or the like may be used. When secured together as shown in Fig. 3, the bell and bell-supporting clip are adapted to be attached to or removed from the frame of the timepiece as a single unit.

The bell and bell-supporting clip is adapted to be fastened to the frame of the timepiece in the manner shown in Figs. 1 and 2, wherein the spring-lingers 2B of the clip are frictionally engaged with the corresponding pillars I3 of the frame. To this end, the tines 29 of the springnger are adapted to engage on one side of a pillar and the crimp 3l of the detent 3i), on the opposite side, the crimp and tines being forced apart slightly as they are slipped onto the pillars so as to clamp around the latter with a tight frictionai grip. In this connection, it should be mentioned that by providing the bent knee 21 in one leg of the bell-supporting clip, greater resilience is provided in this leg so that having snapped the spring-fingers of the opposite leg onto its respective pillar, the spring-fingers of the bent leg may be snapped onto its respective pillar with relative ease, Although the pillars constitute ideal iixed elements of the frame on which to clamp the spring-fingers, it will be understood that studs of equivalent means may be used with equal success. The friction grip of the spring-fingers is sufficiently tight so that the bell and bell-supporting clip are, in eiect, secured rigidly to the frame. However, by exerting sufcient force to spread the spring-ngers slightly, the bell and bell-supporting clip may be removed from the frame Without necessitating the removal of bolts and nuts, or separation of the front and rear movement-plates.

The invention may be carried out in other specic Ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. In a timepiece of the class described, the combination including a, frame having a pair of fixed elements; an alarm-train mounted in said frame; a bell-clapper arranged to be actuated by said alarm-train; a bell; and bell-supporting means comprising a resilient member having fastening-elements constructed and arranged to be resiliently held in frictional engagement with the said llair of xed elements of said frame to support said bell therein, in juxtaposition to said bell-clapper.

2. In a timepiece of the class described, the combination including a frame having a pair of pillars; an alarm-train mounted in said frame; a bell-clapper arranged to be actuated by said alarm-train; a bell; and means to support said bell in juxtaposition to said bell-clapper, said bell-supporting means comprising a. substantially V-shaped clip having fastening-elements at opposite ends thereof arranged to frictionally engage the said pair of pillars respectively of said frame.

3. In a timepiece of the class described, the combination including a frame having a pair of pillars; an alarm-train mounted in said frame; a bell-clapper arranged to be actuated by said alarm-train; a bell; means to support said bell in juxtaposition to said bell-clapper, said bellsupporting means comprising a substantially V- shaped clip having gripping elements at opposite ends thereof arranged to clip onto the said pair of pillars respectively of said frame; and a fastening-element carried by said clip for securing said bell thereto.

4. In a timepiece of the class described, the combination including a frame having a pair of pillars for supporting the front and rear movement-plates of said frame; an alarm-train mounted in said frame; a bell-clapper arranged to be actuated by said alarm-train; a bell; and means to support said bell in juxtaposition to said bell-clapper, said bell-supporting means comprising a V-shaped clip having spring-fingers at opposite ends thereof arranged to frictionally grip corresponding pillars of said frame,

5. In a. timepiece of the class described, the combination including a frame having a pair of pillars for supporting the front and rear movement-plates of said frame; an alarm-train mounted in said frame; a. bell-clapper arranged to be actuated by said alarm-train; a bell; means to support said bell in juxtaposition to said bellclapper, said bell-supporting means comprising a clip having an apertured base, a. pair of legs projecting outwardly therefrom at opposite ends thereof and spring-fingers at the outer extremity of each leg, said spring-fingers being arranged to clamp around corresponding pillars of said frame to hold said bell-supporting means securely therein; and fastening-means in the apertured base of said clip to secure said bell thereto.

6. In a timepiece of the class described, the combination including a frame having a pair of pillars for supporting the front and rear movement-plates of said frame; an alarm-train mounted in said frame; a bell-clapper arranged to be actuated by said alarm-train; a bell; means to support said bell in juxtaposition to said bellclapper, said bell-supporting means comprising a clip having an apertured base, a pair of legs projecting outwardly therefrom at opposite ends thereof, one of said legs being substantially straight and the other of said legs having a, bent knee-portion, and spring-fingers at the outer extremity of each leg, said spring-fingers comprising a pair of laterally-spaced tines and a detent intermediate said tines, the tines and detent of each leg being arranged to clamp around a corresponding pillar of said frame to hold said bellsupporting means securely therein; and fastening-means in the apertured base of said clip to secure said bell thereto.

FERDINAND FENGLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

